Right Under My Nose
by JellyBeanDiva
Summary: Crime scenes and evidence aren't the only things Flack discovers, he also discovers Lindsay right under his nose...but discovering something is easier said than done. FlackLindsay
1. Germ Boy

"You sneezed on the evidence?" Danny yelled across the crime scene. Danny wasn't mad, per say, but his voice was filled with disbelief and annoyance.

"I didn't sneeze on any of your evidence, man." Flack said. His voice was raspy and his head was obviously congested, judging by the way his words slurred together and didn't sound quite like they should. "I may have coughed and dripped a little something on it, but I definitely didn't sneeze so back off man."

Flack stepped up to get in Danny's face, but as soon as his did, he grabbed his forehead and moaned.

"Okay, that's it. Get outta here." Danny walked away from collecting evidence and pushed Flack towards the tape line. "You're sneezing or dripping on my stuff, you look like you're about to keel over and die and if you get me sick, I'll make sure you regret it. Get outta here and go home."

Flack started to protest, but began coughing instead. He wasn't really _that_ sick. But lying in bed and getting over this crap appealed to him right now. Flack turned back to Danny to protest one last time and insist he keep working, when Danny cut him off, waving his hands in front of him and pushing him out of the crime scene altogether.

"Go die somewhere else, man. We've already got one body here. Go home. Here, Flack, take Montana with you." Danny grabbed Lindsay by the arm and thrust her into the conversation. Before she had time to react, Danny was giving her orders. "Hey, Montana, take Flack home before he gets us all sick. I'll see you back at the lab."

"So, it's okay if I get sick from being in a confined space with germ boy here, but it's not okay for you?" Lindsay asked sarcastically.

"What can I say, Montana? Life just ain't fair." Danny said. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed quickly letting her know that he appreciated what she was doing and that the conversation was over.

Lindsay looked at Flack. He looked miserable, pathetic and a little irritated.

"Germ boy?" Flack asked flatly.

"Let's go." Lindsay said with a laugh and a smile.

The ride to Flack's apartment was silent except for the country music Lindsay had playing on the radio. Flack leaned his head on the cool window and watched the streets go by. Eventually he spoke a little, but only to tell Lindsay where to turn. He was too tired and irritated to keep up any type of conversation. Finally, Lindsay slowed the car to a stop and looked expectantly at Flack.

"You okay? You need anything before I go back to the lab?" Lindsay asked. Flack listened to her voice and heard something there that told him that her question wasn't an empty one. He had the feeling that at this moment Lindsay was actually a little concerned about him and would go get him something to make him feel better. Or, Flack concluded, it could be a fever talking.

"Nah, I'm fine." Flack's sentence was interrupted by a cough and a sniffle. "Well, I'll be fine. Thanks for the ride Monroe."

Flack flashed Lindsay as much of a smile as he could muster and walked into his building. By the time Flack reached his apartment, he used all his remaining strength to rip off his tie, kick his shoes off to remote corners of the room, and sink onto the couch, grabbing a blanket on his way down. The cushions felt so soft and comfortable and the room was already spinning a little, so Flack closed his eyes to rest for just a few minutes.


	2. Foolproof

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Flack heard a thud. He heard it again and again, over and over. As Flack pried his eyes open, he realized that he hadn't moved from the couch. Judging by the light that was not streaming in through his windows, Flack decided that he had been on the couch much longer than the few minutes he had originally planned. There it was again. Flack's head was a little foggy and it was hard to concentrate with the pressure in his head and the coughs he could feel coming on, but Flack definitely heard someone knocking at his door. Stumbling over, he didn't look through the peep hole or even bother to ask who it was; he just unlocked and swung the door open. Leaning against the doorframe for support, Flack was surprised at who he found on his doorstep.

"Well, you look like death on a triscuit." Lindsay said with a bit of a smile. When Flack didn't return her smile, she changed approaches. "You really don't look any better. Can I come in?"

"Sure." Flack said, Lindsay could hear how tired he was. "At this point I really can't stop you."

Lindsay walked into Flack's apartment and straight into his kitchen. She began taking things out of the brown paper bag that had been in her hands and laying them on the counter. Flack walked closer and simply watched. Nasal spray, a box of medicine, lemons, honey, Jack Daniels…

"Whoa, Monroe, what are you going to do? Get me drunk, cover me in honey and lick it all off?" Flack said, a laugh resonating in his chest.

"You wish." Lindsay said, rolling her eyes. "Maybe you aren't as sick as you look. No, all of this stuff is my Grandmother's foolproof way to cure a cold. The first thing you need to do is take a hot shower. I'll get everything else ready."

Flack stood in the middle of his kitchen in a relative state of shock. He and Lindsay were friends, but their talking was usually confined to crime scenes and the lab. It was rare that he ever saw her outside of the lab, but even when that happened it was with a group of people from the lab. But here was Lindsay, standing in his kitchen and ordering him to take a shower. It was confusing, but Flack decided he could think about it more in the shower.

"Shower, huh?" Flack asked, rubbing his head and trying to make the pressure go away.

"The hotter the better. The steam will help. Now go. I'll be right here." Lindsay walked over and gave him a small push.

Flack walked into the bathroom and started the shower. The steam and hot water helped him body relax and made him feel better. By the time he was finished, some of the pressure and coughing had gone away. Flack pulled on sweatpants and a T-shirt, and walked back into his living room.

He instantly noticed that all the tissues and pillows he had thrown on the floor in the living room were gone. His apartment seemed cleaner, and there were great smells coming from the kitchen.

"Sit down on the couch." Lindsay commanded from the kitchen. Flack decided he still felt too crappy to argue. He'd save the "you invaded my domain" speech for another night.

Flack sank into the pillows in a far corner of the couch and leaned back. The shower had relaxed his muscles and made him feel a little better. Lindsay sat a huge tray of plates, cups, bowls and bottles on the coffee table and bounced onto the couch close to Flack. As she began handing him things, she explained.

"Donald Flack, I'm only going to help you feel better if you promise not to laugh at me." Lindsay announced quite seriously. At the use of his first and last name, Flack looked up at Lindsay and saw the sincere look on her face. Teasing Lindsay had been the last thing on his mind.

"Okay. Not a problem." Flack said nodding his head. "But you, uh, cleaned my apartment."

"I didn't really clean, I just picked up the pillows and tissues and things that you had thrown everywhere." Lindsay said sheepishly, ducking her head and looking away. Lindsay wasn't sure why she suddenly felt so self-conscious and embarrassed. It could be that today she walked into the home of a guy who she only knew through work and literally taken over and made herself at home. When her eyes finally rested on the tray she had brought from the kitchen, she decided to talk about that.

"Okay." Lindsay started, she was aware that Flack's eyes were still staring straight at her. "This is my grandmother's foolproof cure for a cold. Here spray this twice up each nostril."

Lindsay handed Flack some sort of nose spray. He looked at her skeptically. Lindsay shot him a look back that reminded him that he wasn't supposed to make fun. Flack apprehensively shot a stream of liquid into his nose. Instantly he felt a burning sensation that he swore reached into his brain.

"Ah! God, my eyes are burning! Damn, Lindsay…what the hell is this stuff?" Flack demanded, shaking his head in order to try and regain a normal feeling in his nose.

"Don't complain you big baby." Lindsay said, completely unfazed by Flack's reaction. "You should do that once every two hours. Here take these, drink this and eat this."

Lindsay pushed the tray towards him and handed him two small pills. Flack took the pills in his hand, but eyed everything suspiciously. He looked up to smirk at Lindsay.

"How do I know you're not trying to kill me?" Flack said with a bit of humor and sarcasm returning to his voice.

"If I wanted to kill you I wouldn't waste my time with this stuff. I'd just let you sneeze and cough all over Danny's crime scenes."

"Good point." Flack conceded.

Flack popped the two pills in his mouth and washed them down with some of the soup that was sitting in the tray in front of him. Next to the soup with a plate containing a grilled cheese sandwich that looked homemade.

"Did you cook?" Flack asked Lindsay.

For a moment, Lindsay looked like she was embarrassed to answer. After a few second of silence Lindsay replied.

"Yes. I brought all the food with me, but I cooked it here. I hope you don't mind. Whenever we got a cold or were all stopped up, my grandmother would cook grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. She insisted that between the medicine, the nose spray and what you've got in that mug there, that we'd be fine by morning." Lindsay explained.

Lindsay picked up the steaming mug in front of Flack and handed it to him. Flack smiled as he took the mug from her, their fingers brushing momentarily as the mug exchanged hands. Flack lifted the mug to his nose, took a whiff and finally lifted the mug to his lips. The liquid with hot, sweet, tangy and strong all at the same time.

"God, Lindsay, what's in this thing?" Flack asked, coughing slightly for air after drinking.

"A little tea, lemon juice, honey, and a good dose of whiskey. Why? You dislike it as much as the nose spray?" Lindsay laughed in spite of herself. Watching Flack struggle to breath as he took another sip was down right hilarious.

"No, I'm just wondering what other tricks your grandma has up her sleeve. I don't know if I'm getting better or just getting drunk." Flack said, swallowing hard and realizing that his throat wasn't nearly as sore or raw as before.

"My grandmother had lots of tricks and remedies, but this was one of the best. It's foolproof." Lindsay smiled at Flack.

"Did her remedy ever fail you?" Flack asked.

"How do you feel?" Lindsay asked, answering a question with a question.

"Like a living, breathing person again. Even my nose feels better." Flack admitted.

"Well, welcome back to the land of the living." Lindsay said. Her hand came to rest lightly on Flack's knee as she got up off the couch. "Now that you're feeling better, I should be going. Keep this all up and you'll feel like a new person tomorrow. Oh, and get some sleep. My grandmother's remedy does tend to make you a little drowsy."

Before Flack knew what was going on, Lindsay had gathered her belongings and was headed towards his front door. Flack slowly pushed himself out of his comfort zone on the couch and walked to where Lindsay was standing by the door, putting on her coat. He could feel Lindsay's grandmother's cure beginning to work, but it was making things just a little foggy and jumbled.

"Thanks, Lindsay." Flack managed to get out.

"Any time, Flack. No sneezing on the evidence tomorrow." Lindsay said with a smile.

Lindsay turned, opened the door and walked out into the hallway. She closed the door behind her, leaving Flack still standing on the other side. Flack smiled. He felt better, he could breathe again and he felt he knew a little more about Lindsay than he ever had before.

Flack's smiled was short lived. He felt a tickle in the back of his throat that turned into a rolling cough. Finishing off the drink in his mug, Flack stumbled off to bed, willing grandma's foolproof remedy to take effect. Within seconds of his head hitting the pillow, Flack was out cold.


	3. Germ Girl

Flack felt like a new man as he walked into the lab the next morning. There was no more coughing, sneezing, congestion or dripping of any kind. He felt like a living, breathing person again – not "death on a triscuit" as Lindsay had put it. Now, Flack was bounding through the lab to find Lindsay and assure her that he truly believed her grandmother was a genius. Sure grandma's foolproof recipe had left him a little drunk, foggy, unable to function and waking up to a waterfall of drool flowing out of his mouth – but in the long run it was all worth it.

Flack knocked as a courtesy on the open door to Danny and Lindsay's office and walked in, not really waiting for an answer. Danny was sitting at his desk finishing up some paperwork from the day before. He looked up to see Flack come to and lean on the corner of his desk.

"Someone feels better." Danny said, giving Flack a once over.

"You have no idea, man. Lindsay came over last night and fixed me all up…" Flack was in the process of explaining, but Danny cut him off.

"Yeah, I'll bet she did." Danny interrupted with a smirk.

"No, get your mind out of the gutter. Her grandmother has some foolproof remedy for feeling like shit and it worked wonders." Flack stopped for a moment and glanced at the empty desk across from Danny. Suddenly he realized what was missing. "Hey, where is Lindsay? I wanted to thank her."

"Yeah, well thanks to you and your sneezing, I'm now without a partner. Lindsay's home sick." Danny stopped as he watched a look of confusion and then understanding play across Flack's face. "You sure she didn't get sick doing a little _fixing up_ or something?"

"Very funny." Flack said dryly, trying not to let Danny's joking get to him. "So, Lindsay didn't come in?"

"Nah, man. She called me and then Mac early this morning and said she couldn't possibly get out of bed. I'll tell you what, either she's a good actress or she's pretty sick. She sounded worse than you looked yesterday." Danny raised his eyebrows and talked with a flourish of his hands. Flack nodded his head silently and took it all in.

"Yeah, well, uh, thanks man, I've got to get going. I've got work to do." Flack said, starting to make his retreat out of Danny and Lindsay's office. "See you later."

Flack walked out of the office, his mind turning while he walked. What could he do for Lindsay? Flack felt like he owed her something. She did help him to feel so much better, and he most likely was the cause of her illness today. It quickly occurred to Flack what he needed to do, but as his phone began to ring he realized that it would have to wait until after his shift.

Later that night, Flack found himself standing in front of Lindsay's door. A neighbor had let him in the front door and now he was ready to knock. Flack shifted his feet and shifted the bag he held in his arms, trying at the same time to shift the feeling he had in the pit of his stomach. Flack wasn't quite too sure why he was nervous and he found himself wondering if Lindsay had been nervous the night before when she had invaded his home. Pushing the uneasy feeling into the back of his mind, Flack knocked gently on Lindsay's door.

From the other side of the door, Flack could have sworn he heard someone tell him to come in. It didn't sound exactly like Lindsay, but she was sick and the voice was really muffled. Flack opened the door and pushed it open with his shoulder, trying not to drop the bag in his arms.

Walking into Lindsay's apartment, Flack smiled. After just a glance, Lindsay's place looked exactly like he thought it would – warm, comfortable and like it he had stepped into a Pottery Barn catalog. Flack was shaken out of his thoughts by a voice.

"Hey." The greeting came from the couch and was deep, but familiar.

Flack turned towards the couch and froze in his tracks. He took a deep breath and nodded his head idly.

"Hi, Danny. What are you…?" Flack started, greeting Danny and willing his feet to take a few more steps in Danny's direction. Once Flack rounded the corner of the couch, he saw what he had been looking for. Lindsay was lying on the couch, curled up and asleep. Her head was resting in Danny's lap and while one of her hands grasped the pillow and Danny's pants, one of Danny's hands rested in her hair. The whole picture looked extremely intimate, and Flack found himself getting a sinking feeling inside.

"Oh, hey Danny….I didn't realize. I'm just gonna leave this stuff and go." Flack said quickly. Suddenly he wanted to get out of Lindsay's apartment as soon as he could manage.

Flack turned around and walked into the kitchen to set his bag down. As soon as he got everything situated on the counter, Flack turned to leave. When he turned around, he found that Danny had gotten up off the couch and was standing between him and the door.

"Flack, I think you've got…" Danny began, but Flack cut him off.

"In the bag there's a whole bunch of things that Lindsay swears by when she gets sick. She probably already has a lot of it, but I brought it all for her anyway." Flack explained.

"You don't have to go, Flack. You could stay and…" Danny tried, as Flack cut him off again. It was as if Flack didn't hear Danny and Danny couldn't help but think how tired and almost gloomy Flack sounded while he talked.

"Make sure she uses the nose spray and takes the medicine every three and a half hours. I threw in some bread for toast and 7-up. That's what my mom gave me when I was sick….I think it works wonders. Probably not as good as Lindsay's stuff. But, well…" Flack's voice trailed off. He glanced at the back of the couch, where he knew Lindsay was sleeping peacefully.

"What's the rush, Flack?" Danny asked, concerned about his friends sporadic behavior.

"Hey, Danny… I didn't realize that you two were, you know…" Flack's voice trailed off and he bobbed his head, motioning to some invisible bond between Danny and Lindsay.

"Whoa!" Danny said, throwing his hands up in front of him and desperate to probe a point. "You got the wrong idea, Flack. I came over to check on her and she fell asleep. Nothing more. There's nothing going on…"

"Hey. My two favorite guys in one place. Don't I feel special?" Lindsay said sleepily, pushing herself up off the couch. "What are you two talking about?"

"Well, Flack thought…" Danny started.

Flack felt he had to put a stop to Danny's explanation, especially since Danny had a mischievous glint in his eyes. Flack walked over to Lindsay and put the back of his hand lightly on her forehead.

"How are you feeling?" Flack asked with concern evident in his voice.

"Better." Lindsay said, managing a small smile. Just as quickly as her smile had appeared, it morphed into a suspicious glare. "What are you doing?"

Flack noticed that his hand was still attached to Lindsay's forehead. He pulled it back quickly and shoved it in his pocket.

"I don't know. It's what my mom used to do. You always put your hand to someone's forehead when you ask how they're feeling." Flack realized how stupid his explanation could have sounded and mentally chastised himself for it. "Anyway, _Germ _Girl, I brought you stuff so you'd feel better. I didn't know if you would have felt good enough to go to the store."

"That's sweet Flack. Thanks. Hey, but _Germ Girl_?"

"Consider it payback." Flack said with a grin. "Somehow that nickname is cute for you…for me, it was kind of dorky."

Lindsay smiled again. Then a look came over her that made her look like a kid in a candy store. "What did you bring me?"

Flack walked into the kitchen and brought his bag back to the couch. He sat down on the couch with Lindsay, while Danny settled himself in a chair and took in the scene. One by one, Flack took each thing out of the bag. When he got to the bag of bread, he tossed it to Danny and told Danny to be useful and make some toast.

Before Lindsay knew it, she had a healthy dose of medication, a steaming mug of her grandma's remedy, a glass of 7-up and a plate of toast. Lindsay munched and drank happily. She wasn't too sure if it was the food and medicine making her feel better, or just the fact that both Flack and Danny cared enough to come over and check on her. Lindsay was impressed by the spread that Flack brought with him. Although Lindsay wasn't about to tell Flack, she didn't this his mother's 7-up and toast were a match for her grandma's remedy – but it was really the thought that counted.

About two hours later, Flack and Danny were eating pizza and watching hockey on TV. Lindsay had fallen back asleep close to an hour before, curled up against Flack's side with her hair falling softly around and in front of her face. Danny and Flack had both decided a while ago to let Lindsay sleep for a while before leaving, they both wanted to make sure that she locked up as they left. While Danny talked endlessly about the hockey game, Flack stole a moment to look at Lindsay. He pushed a piece of hair behind her ear and wondered why he had leapt conclusions earlier about Danny and Lindsay, and hoped that Lindsay would be back at work the next day.


	4. How to Cook a Pot Roast

The sun was shining, it was a beautiful day and Lindsay found herself at a double homicide and absolute bloodbath. Lindsay looked at the scene that she and the rest of the day shift had just finished processing and shook her head. Lindsay loved her job, but days and crime scenes like this made her wish for a moment that she had made a normal career choice – like a ballerina or blacksmith or something.

Lindsay and Stella had been processing one of the bodies and Danny and Mac had the other. It was a team effort and would more than likely take more than one trip to get all the evidence back to the lab.

Lindsay sighed and massaged the back of her neck, trying to get the kinks out. Lindsay had worked a double, and was relieved that her shift ended with this crime scene. Otherwise, she was pretty sure that Danny or Mac would be scraping her body off the pavement and taking her home.

When Lindsay and Stella came out of the building, they saw Flack finish questioning a neighbor and Mac and Danny over loading up the trucks.

"You look exhausted." Stella said, the motherly concern creeping into her voice. "You're going home after this right?"

"Yeah," Lindsay said. "I was off about an hour ago. I was going to have one of you drop me off on your way back to the lab."

Lindsay and Stella walked over to the rest of the group, where all the guys were talking and waiting.

"Hey, Mac, can we drop Lindsay off at her place on our way back to the lab?" Stella shouted out as she approached the group.

Mac was about to answer when Flack jumped in. "I can give you a ride, Monroe. I'm going that way."

"We're all going that way, Casanova." Danny said, just low enough for only Flack to hear.

"Thanks, Flack. That'd be really nice. I just don't want to take the subway…I don't think I'd stay awake long enough to find my stop." Lindsay said. By now, almost everyone could hear how tired she was.

Mac and Stella stepped away, leaving the three younger detectives to talk amongst themselves. It had been obvious to Lindsay that Danny and Flack had been planning something and deep in conversation before she and Stella had walked up. Lindsay decided to let them finish talking and wait for Flack by his car. As Lindsay walked away casually, she heard her name being shouted back at her.

"Montana! Wait up." Lindsay sighed at the nickname, but was too tired to give Danny any kind of grief over it. Lindsay stopped and watched Danny and Flack walk over to her. "Some of us are going to go out for drinks after work. You want to meet up with us?"

"Thanks, but no thanks guys." Lindsay said. She watched both of their faces fall with disappointment. When Lindsay realized that both guys were trying to remember reasons that she might be mad at them and not want to go out, Lindsay decided to put their minds at ease. "It's not that I don't want to, but I'm tired and I've got some work to do around the house."

"You're blowing us off to dust?" Flack asked with a chuckle.

Lindsay rolled her eyes at Flack.

"No." Lindsay shot back. "I'm not cleaning. There's something wrong with my garbage disposal. I need to take it apart and see what's wrong. I'm either going to fix it or replace it."

"A garbage disposal?" Danny asked in mock disbelief. "Real glamorous, Montana."

Lindsay smiled. She wasn't too sure why. It wasn't like Danny had cracked a joke or anything.

"Why don't we come over and take a look at it for you." Flack offered. He was trying to be nice and chivalrous.

"I can fix it. It's not a problem." Lindsay assured Flack.

"No, really." Flack insisted. "Let us come fix it for you. We're guys. We know what we're doing."

Flack's statement had two effects. Danny dropped his head to his hands in disbelief and Lindsay stared at Flack like he was an idiot. Lindsay waited a few seconds, and let Flack's words sink in before she responded.

"Are you saying that I can't fix things around my own house?" Lindsay demanded. Her voice was getting louder with every word, and while her words didn't sound completely angry they did convey that she was annoyed.

"I think…" Flack began, but he was cut off just as soon as he started.

"Because I'm a girl?" Lindsay said.

There it was, thought Danny. Lindsay wasn't annoyed because Flack thought she couldn't fix things. She was annoyed because Flack implied that girls weren't as adept as guys at fixing things.

"It's just that fixing things isn't something girls are usually good at…" Flack explained. He still hadn't realized the dangerous territory that he had entered.

"Danger Will Robinson, danger." Danny warned quietly. Flack just looked at Danny like he was crazy. Evidentially Flack had never watched reruns of Lost in Space as a kid.

"So I suppose that you'd rather I stood around in the kitchen cooking for you while you fix things?" Lindsay shot at Flack. The humor of the situation had worn off a while ago for her.

"Can you make pot roast?" Flack joked. His tone and body language conveyed to Lindsay that he was being an absolute ass and didn't take her seriously on bit. To Danny, it all conveyed that Flack was being an idiot and was completely clueless about how angry he had made Lindsay.

"Argh!" Lindsay growled in frustration. "You know what, Flack? I'm going home and fixing my own garbage disposal. And when I'm finished, I'm going to put on my cute little apron and cook a delicious pot roast, and then Danny will eat that pot roast and it will be the best pot roast he's ever had."

Danny's head snapped up at the mention of his name. Until now, he had decided that it was best to keep his head down and stay out of things until either Flack pulled his head out of his ass or Lindsay calmed down.

"How am I involved in this?" Danny asked hesitantly.

"You didn't demean me as a woman, so you get pot roast and Flack doesn't. You will eat it and enjoy it!" Lindsay said to Danny, looking at him with a look that told him not to contradict her right now.

"Down girl." Danny said, throwing his hands up in defeat. "I'll eat the pot roast."

"Thank you." Lindsay said unconvincingly to Danny.

She turned to look at Flack. Lindsay had to admit that this had all started as a way to joke with and poke fun at Flack. But she had let it escalate. It was a little unfair to Flack, he looked as if he really didn't understand what had happened right in front of him.

"And you…" Lindsay leveled her gaze on Flack, who was beginning to look like a dog that thought he was in trouble but couldn't figure out what for. "Until you pull your head out of your ass, I'm not speaking to you. And there will be no pot roast!"

Lindsay yelled the last part over her shoulder as she began walking down the street towards the subway. Lindsay wasn't feeling the least bit tired anymore.


	5. Making Nice

**A/N - Sorry it's taken a while to update...and it's not even a _great_ chapter. I've been at the beach _with_ a computer, but _without_ the internet. Happy reading.**

* * *

"Lindsay." Mac's voice startled Lindsay, but she recovered enough to listen to the rest of his directive. "You and I need to meet Flack at a crime scene. We've got a body on a roof in Manhattan."

Mac began walking out of the lab without looking behind him to see if Lindsay was following. Lindsay yawned and followed.

The night before, Lindsay had been looking forward to an afternoon and night of nothing but sleep. However after her encounter with Flack, Lindsay had gone home a little wound up. The result was that she had fixed her garbage disposal, dusted, vacuumed, and rearranged her living room – all on her own. All of that work had left no time for cooking pot roast and less time for sleeping than Lindsay had originally planned.

When Lindsay and Mac arrived at the crime scene, Flack and some uniformed officers were waiting. As she got out of the car, Lindsay and Flack's eyes met momentarily, before he looked quickly at the ground. Lindsay had almost forgotten yesterday's fight and her promise not to speak to Flack. She had never intended to get so mad at Flack, but Lindsay decided that she would play this up a little more and make Flack suffer a little longer.

"I'll go up to the roof and start photographing the scene." Lindsay said to Mac. Mac nodded his head and watched Lindsay walk by Flack and into the building. Flack had looked up as Lindsay walked past, as if he might say something. But when Lindsay ignored him, he dropped his head back down and stared at the ground.

"So Danny's story from yesterday isn't, well, one of Danny's stories?" Mac asked with an amused chuckle. He walked up in front of Flack and when Flack looked up he saw a huge grin had spread across Mac's face.

"I don't know what happened, Mac." Flack said. He stopped, took a breath and began again. "Okay, I know what happened…but I wasn't thinking and Lindsay blew things way out of proportion."

"Flack, my advice is to go make nice so we can all get something done today." Mac said sternly. Beneath his steely words, Flack could hear that Mac really cared about what was going on with his team…and he found this as funny as Danny had.

Lindsay was up on the roof, taking pictures of almost everything in sight. The roof was definitely their primary crime scene. Other than the fact that the body was lying in plain sight, there were directional blood droplets and marks that showed signs of a struggle.

Lindsay had been inspecting the blood droplets that led across the roof when something caught her eye. She was going to get a closer look when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Hey, I think I might have found something interesting. Check this out." Lindsay said, almost gleefully. Lindsay had assumed it was Mac behind her and didn't bother to look up – her eyes glued to the evidence.

"You make everything interesting." A thick New York voice said from behind her. Lindsay knew instantly that it wasn't Mac behind her. "I thought you weren't talking to me."

Lindsay turned around and glared at Flack. "I'm not a professional mime, you know. I have to talk to you to work." Lindsay turned back to the spot she was examining. "Look at this. I think we have two attackers. There are three set of fabric imprints in the dirt and blood here. One is obviously our victim, but I think the other two points to two suspects. You should be looking for two people instead of just one."

Lindsay stood up and turned around to face Flack.

"You're freakishly good at what you do. You know that, don't you?" Flack said.

"Yes. I do." Lindsay said with a proud and smug smile.

"Hey, Lindsay…about yesterday…" Flack began. Suddenly there was a really interesting spot on the ground in front of he and Lindsay and his feet didn't seem to want to stay still.

"Flack, just forget it. It's really not a big deal." Lindsay said, giving Flack an easy out.

"No, no… I need to make nice. I didn't really get what I was saying at the time." Flack said. He still hadn't looked at Lindsay to see if she was still mad. To be honest, Flack was actually afraid that even after Flack apologized, Lindsay would still be mad at him. "Okay… I didn't really understand what had made you so mad until Danny and Stella both hit me upside the head, but I get it now. I'm sorry."

Flack wasn't staring at the ground anymore. Now, he had picked an interesting flock of clouds to examine. Lindsay smiled at Flack, although he couldn't see it. He was fidgeting and scanning the ground and sky, and Lindsay could tell that he was genuinely sorry. She had been caught up with taking in Flack's nervous behavior and hadn't responded to Flack's apology.

This finally set Flack on edge. Flack brought his eyes down out of the clouds and leveled them on Lindsay's gaze.

"Come on, Monroe. I'm sorry. Say something. I can't take this silent treatment. You gotta take pity, this has been really hard on me." Flack pleaded.

"It's been less than 12 hours and we haven't seen each other since I stopped talking to you. You just want some pot roast." Lindsay said, raising her eyebrows expectantly. Flack felt that even though he couldn't see a satisfied smiled on Lindsay's lips, he could hear faint traces of it in her voice.

"Yes…. I mean, no….I mean, it would be nice, but….no… I…. Argh! You and your pot roast. Now you're just trying to get me in trouble!" Flack said rather loudly, garnering looks from the officers who had secured the area.

"7 o'clock at my place." Lindsay said. She smiled a broad smile a playfully hit Flack in the shoulder.

"Huh?" For a detective, Flack wasn't following Lindsay's thoughts so well.

"I've invited Danny, Stella and Mac over for pot roast tonight at 7. Now that I've forgiven you and I'm speaking to you…._I guess_ you're invited to have pot roast tonight."

"Do you make a good pot roast?" Flack asked, wondering if he was pushing his luck by questioning Lindsay's skills at something else.

"Yes! It's cooking as we speak. It will be incredibly tender and roasted to perfection with vegetables and incredible juices." Lindsay said, supplying a mouth watering description.

Flack grinned. His grin turned into a smile that almost radiated excitement, happiness and relief. Lindsay swore she could see Flack drooling, just thinking about the pot roast. Feeling she had done enough to entertain Flack for the morning, Lindsay turned back to processing the scene.

"Hey, Lindsay?" Flack asked with an air of caution. Lindsay turned around, simply letting her eyes ask what he needed. "Did you, uh, fix your garbage disposal?"

Lindsay shook her head in disbelief, and Flack wondered if his dinner invitation was again hanging in the balance.

"Yes."

Flack sighed in relief at Lindsay's reply that was accompanied by a smile and a gentle smack to the back of his head.


	6. Sir Flack

7 o'clock had come and gone and so had the pot roast. Everyone – Mac, Danny, Stella and Flack – had been impressed by Lindsay's culinary skills. After dinner, Lindsay invited the group to stay, watch a hockey game and enjoy some freshly made brownies. Mac had excused himself, saying that he needed to go back to the lab and finish up some paperwork, but everyone else stayed.

Stella and Danny made themselves comfortable on the couch, turning on the hockey game, while Flack settled himself in the large, comfortable chair next to the coffee table. Lindsay was in the kitchen cutting and serving her freshly baked brownies.

"Flack, come help me!" Lindsay shouted from the kitchen.

"Huh? Why me?" Flack whined. He had just gotten comfortable and the game had just started.

"Because you were an idiot yesterday and so I'm picking you to help me." Lindsay said matter-of-factly.

Flack looked at Stella and Danny for help, but they both snickered and shook their heads. Sighing, Flack tore himself away from the game and walked into the kitchen. He paused a moment to take a good look at Lindsay. True to her word, she was wearing her apron, and she was right, it was definitely _cute_. Lindsay's green apron was doubled around her waist, making it fit snuggly, and on top of her black pants and black sweater it made Lindsay's eyes sparkle and skin seem tanner somehow – even in the middle of winter.

"Cute apron, Monroe." Flack said, idly pulling on one of the strings that secured it behind Lindsay's neck. Lindsay ducked away from Flack's reach as she felt the strings loosen.

"What are you trying to do…undress me in my own kitchen?" Lindsay joked as one hand snaked to the back of her neck to check the knot. "I'm glad you like it. It makes me feel all domestic." Lindsay smiled at Flack. He seemed to have forgotten about the hockey game and the fact that Lindsay tore him away from. Lindsay grabbed two plates of brownies and began walking out of the kitchen, smiling at Flack over her shoulder.

"Hey, grab those last two plates, will you?" Lindsay asked.

Flack dutifully picked up the remaining two plates of brownies and walked towards the living room. Just as he was about to hand one of his plates to Stella, he saw a rush of movement out of the corner of his eye. Flack snapped his head around just in time to see Lindsay hand Danny a plate of brownies and then use the speed of a cartoon animal with a sugar rush to bound into the chair that he had been sitting in.

"Hey!" Flack shouted, trying to look shocked and appalled. "That's _my_ chair!" Flack walked over, bent down and was about to forcefully remove Lindsay from his chair, when Lindsay gloated over him.

"You snooze, you loose, Flack. The floor is very comfortable…. I suggest you try it." Lindsay shot back at him gleefully.

Flack sank into a heap with a groan on the floor in front of what was now Lindsay's chair and next to where Danny was sitting above him on the couch. Flack scowled and sank his teeth into his brownie, attempting to relieve some of his depression over losing his chair.

"I guess she told you." Danny taunted.

"Shut up." Flack snapped back, turning his attention to the hockey game. He swore he could still hear Stella and Lindsay still snickering at him in the background.

* * *

They had all made it through the first period of the hockey game and were about 6 minutes into the second. Everyone had settled in nicely. Danny had sunken down into the couch and sprawled his legs across the floor and around the coffee table. Stella was comfortable on the couch after she had claimed the majority of it for herself. Lindsay was twisted snuggly in her overstuffed chair with her legs tucked underneath her, while Flack had stolen some pillows from Danny and used them to make himself a comfortable mountain to prop himself up on.

Danny and Flack were enjoying the game as they yelled advice to the players. Stella and Lindsay were content just to watch, laugh at the guys and chat idly during commercial breaks. As the second period continued, Lindsay could feel the salt from the pot roast kick in and her mouth became parched.

"I'm going to go get something to drink. I'll be right back." Lindsay used her arms to gracefully push herself up out of her chair, step over Danny's and Flack's sprawling legs and walk to the kitchen.

"I'll come with you." Flack said. The words came out of his mouth quicker and louder than he had intended, causing some people to turn and look at him. Flack jumped up and was by Lindsay's side before she had taken more than two steps.

"I'm just going to the kitchen." Lindsay said as she walked. Flack was matching her step for step, walking quietly next to her.

"That's okay. I'll still come." Flack said. He felt like his voice and his feet were on auto-pilot, following Lindsay around her apartment.

Lindsay opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water. She looked at Flack and smiled. He was standing just next to her, leaning against the counter. Lindsay opened her bottle as she began to turn to walk back to the game. When Flack started walking with her, Lindsay spun around to talk to him.

"Aren't you going to get something?" Lindsay questioned.

"Nah, I wasn't really thirsty." Flack said, a sheepish look creeping across his face.

"So, you got up and followed me into the kitchen just to do what? Protect me from the refrigerator?" Lindsay asked skeptically. She thought it was a little weird that Flack was following her around her apartment like a small, droopy-eared puppy dog.

"Yeah, uh, you never know what could jump out of those things." Flack said rather unconvincingly. He was trying his best to think on his feet and it wasn't going so well. To tell the truth, Flack hadn't really thought everything through when he decided to follow Lindsay into the kitchen. His mind had simply told his body to follow her and here he was. The smart thing to do would have been to grab a drink, but Flack just couldn't seem to get his "smarts" working when he was around Lindsay. It was beginning to aggravate him. "Yeah. Those things are dangerous."

"Remind me never to set foot in your kitchen." Lindsay said. She had closed the fridge and leaned against it slightly and brought her water bottle to her lips to take a drink. Flack took a step towards her and cocked his head to one side, not quite understanding Lindsay's reasoning. "I don't know what you keep in your refrigerator, but it must be something horrible if you're willing to leave a hockey game to protect me from my appliances."

"Just call me your knight in shining armor." Flack proclaimed, thrusting his chest out smugly – though just a bit, he didn't want to seem boastful.

"Cute." Lindsay replied, his statement had earned a huge smile that was being displayed across her face. "Sir Flack, Protector of Damsels from their Appliances…it has a good ring to it. I still think it's a little weird that you followed me in here, but hey, whatever toasts your bagel buddy."

Lindsay stepped forward so that she could return to the living room. Her movement brought her body within centimeters of Flack's, who hadn't moved from his place in front of her. Just as Lindsay was walking around Flack, she leaned in, her mouth almost brushing Flack's ear.

"I think it's sweet. Thanks for the protection, Sir Flack."

Flack was left alone in the kitchen as Lindsay walked away. He realized that if he made a run for it, he might be able to overtake Lindsay and get his chair back for the rest of the second period of the hockey game, but suddenly he didn't care about the chair. Unable to make his mind move his feet, Flack was left wondering why he had tensed up when Lindsay came so close and just exactly why he had felt the need to protect her from her own refrigerator in the first place.


	7. Making a Scene

Danny and Lindsay both got out of the lab SUV and walked towards the crime scene. Mac had sent them on this one. Two bodies, a woman and a teenage girl, had been found dead in an apartment. The neighbors called the police when they heard gunshots and claimed to have seen someone run out of the apartment and down the hallway. Lindsay and Danny flashed their badges and ducked under the yellow tape.

"Took you long enough." Detective Maka said, obviously joking and enjoying the fact that she was able to give Danny a hard time.

"What's with the attitude? You don't write, you don't call, you don't pay attention when I try to seduce you? You don't even show up at my crime scenes anymore. What gives?" Danny said with mock hurt and irritation dripping sarcastically from his voice.

Maka rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"In your dreams, Messer. I've been busy doing some other work. You ready to do this work?" She asked, motioning to the apartment.

The three detectives walked into the apartment and took in the scene. The two bodies where almost laying on top of one another, the girl with a single gunshot to the head and the woman with multiple gunshots to the chest.

As Lindsay came closer she got a better look at the victim. What she saw caused her to pause and take a deep breath. While the scene was especially gruesome and bloody, it was the brown hair matted down with blood and hazel eyes staring up at her that caused her breath to catch. Danny noticed the hitch in her breathing, but didn't mention it.

"Hey, Montana. I'll take the bodies. You process the room?" Danny asked. It wasn't so much a question as it was a direction. Lindsay nodded her head, opened her kit and began to work.

* * *

Lindsay had been processing for at least 30 to 40 minutes when she stood up and stretched. There was this awful kink in her neck, and bending over to lift trace off the floor wasn't helping it go away. As Lindsay stretched, she turned towards the door to the apartment and a slight glimmer caught her eye. Lindsay walked to the door and stooped down, starring at something caught between the floorboards. There as dirt, of course, but this dirt had some iridescent flecks and was scattered in a distinctive pattern, which caused Lindsay to believe that she was looking at a shoe print.

As Lindsay snapped pictures of the print and lifted the dirt for analysis at the lab, she noted that the print was large enough and spread out as if the treads came from a work boot, most likely belonging to the suspect. Lindsay opened the door of the apartment and looked at the floor in the hallway. Sure enough, there were more iridescent shoe prints, each a little lighter on the dirt as they traveled down the hallway.

Lindsay's curiosity was peaked and her CSI skills were in full gear. She followed the dirt a few feet down the hall until everything stopped. The prints stopped in the middle of the hallway. It was confusing at first, until Lindsay noticed a garbage chute in the wall. Pulling the essential items out of her kit, Lindsay dusted for fingerprints and could feel the excitement build inside her when she realized that they were fairly new and positioned in a way that told her that someone had climbed into the chute and lowered themselves down into the dumpster below.

Lindsay wanted to pursue her lead, but walked back to the apartment first. Danny was still busy processing. He had finished one body and was working on the other.

"Danny, I found some prints that lead to the garbage chute. I think the suspect got out that way. I'm going down to see if there's anything down there." Lindsay said. She knew that Danny wasn't her babysitter or anything, but she didn't want to make him worry.

"Great. Go ahead. I'll be here." Danny said, without looking up to talk to Lindsay. Lindsay headed for the door; she didn't really hear Danny call out to her. "Hey, Montana…take a uniform with you, huh?"

Down in the alley, Lindsay finally found what she was looking for – the dumpster that the garbage from the apartment building emptied into. Lindsay snapped a pair of latex gloves on her hands, the snap of the latex echoing off the brick walls that surrounded her. Lindsay was beginning to ponder whether or not she should have brought an officer with her, when something caught her attention. The garbage in the dumpster was hanging up one side and on the edge of the dumpster a shoe print was smashed onto the paint in what looked like gooey, rotting cabbage.

Lindsay set her kit down and raised the camera to her eyes, bending over to get a better look at the print. With a series of clicks, Lindsay had the photographs she was seeking. As Lindsay set the camera down and bent down again to pick something out of her kit, she heard a rustle behind her.

Lindsay turned around to see a man flash across her field of vision, lunging towards her. Before Lindsay could identify herself or say anything, she felt a pair of hands on her and her body plummeting towards the side of the dumpster. Pain seared through her body when her head came smashing against the dumpster and as she crumpled to the ground, Lindsay was faintly aware of the blinding pain shooting through her side as her attacker seemed to flee.

Stars swam before Lindsay's eyes. She was vaguely conscious, and thought she heard what sounded like footsteps running towards her and past her. Lindsay didn't feel like concentrating – there was an overwhelming urge to sleep and she felt like giving in.

"I need a medic!" Danny shouted to a nearby officer, skidding to a stop next to Lindsay's body. "Montana! Lindsay, come on. Open your eyes baby! Come on!"

Danny looked up momentarily to watch the officers that had run past Lindsay tackle a fleeing man at the end of the alley near a cross street. As quickly as he had looked up, Danny returned his attention to Lindsay. He shook her gently, and squeezed Lindsay's hand.

"Come on, Linds. Damn it…open your eyes!" Danny said forcefully. The officers standing nearby could tell he was worried.

"You don't have to yell at me." Lindsay managed to get out as she tried to sit up. Suddenly, Lindsay yelped in pain and grabbed her side. Danny eased her into a sitting position and looked at her critically.

"You remember what happened?" Danny asked, no longer yelling now he was asking out of concern.

"Kind of. I came down here to look at the dumpster. I took some pictures and was about to swab some evidence when a guy came at me from behind… it's a little fuzzy after that." Lindsay admitted.

"You scared the crap out of me, you know that?" Danny said. Suddenly Danny felt like an older brother who had failed at his job of protecting his little sister. "I'd say from the bump on your head, you hit the dumpster and this…" Danny raised the hem of Lindsay's shirt just a bit to show the area that had caused her pain when she got up. Just under her shirt a massive bruised was forming below her ribcage. "… This probably came from a swift kick from the guy's shoe. That one's gonna hurt for a while."

Lindsay sighed, her breath hitching slightly as pain ran through her new bruise. The sound of approaching footsteps got Lindsay's attention. She looked up to see the man who had attacked her, handcuffed and walking past her with two officers. Lindsay looked back to Danny, a truly apologetic look in her eyes.

"Sorry." She said quietly.

"It's okay." Danny said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and squeezing slightly. "Let's get you checked out and get back to the lab, huh?" Danny and Lindsay got up off the ground and walked to the waiting medics.


	8. More of a Scene

Back at the lab, people were in one of two camps. They were either incredibly concerned about Lindsay's well being or they were displeased by the fact that Lindsay had put herself in danger by exploring a secondary scene without the proper backup. Most people belonged to the first camp and Mac belonged to the second.

Lindsay had a large bump on her head and had, as Danny had predicted, taken a good kick to the area just between her ribs and her stomach, thankfully doing no other damage than leaving her tender and sore.

Lindsay had been called into Mac's office upon returning to the lab. After Stella finished mothering her, Lindsay walked into Mac's office and shut the door. Danny, not wanting to be anywhere near the conversation going on in Mac's office, went to log in and process the evidence.

"Where's Lindsay?" The door to the trace lab had swung open and through it walked Flack. He stared at Danny, waiting for a reply. Danny had only been working on the evidence for about 20 minutes. He found it interesting that in that short amount of time, Flack had already heard about what had happened at the crime scene and made it over to the lab.

"You know, contrary to popular belief… Lindsay and I aren't married. I don't keep up with her every movement." Danny said in jest. When Danny heard a sound come out of Flack that resembled a growl, he began thinking that a smart remark might not have been the best way to answer.

"Yeah, you've really proved that, huh?" Flack shot back.

This got Danny's attention. He looked up from his evidence and threw his hands up in defense. Danny could sense the mix of anger and concern radiating from his body.

"Whoa, Flack…calm down. I don't know where she is, okay? I think she's in Mac's office. And that's not someplace I'd want to be right now, you know?" Danny said.

"What happened today, Danny?" Flack's abrupt anger had dissipated a little, but Danny could still feel it there beneath the surface.

"She went off on her own and didn't take any backup. The suspect was down in the same alley. He saw his chance to get away and from what I can tell threw her up against a dumpster and then gave her a swift kick to the gut to keep her down. I heard the commotion and we all ran down to find her laying in the alley and the guy running away. Lindsay's lucky she isn't hurt more, if you ask me." Danny explained.

"Okay." Flack said more quietly, rubbing one of his hands across the back of his neck. "Thanks. I've got work to do."

Flack turned to leave the trace lab and had opened the door to walk out when Danny's voice stopped him.

"Flack. You know, if you're that concerned about Lindsay…why don't you ask her out? It would be a lot easier on the rest of us." Danny shouted at Flack.

Flack had a mock look of annoyance on his face and turned around to wave Danny and his idea off. Walking down the hall Flack just caught a glimpse of Lindsay in the elevator as the doors closed. He jogged down the hall and turned sharply at the elevator, choosing instead to take the stairs. Flack assumed that Lindsay's meeting with Mac had concluded and that she had been sent home for the day. Flack knew that if he were Mac, that's what he would do.

Exiting the stairwell and building, Flack just saw Lindsay walk around the corner. He jogged to catch up with her.

"Monroe!" Flack shouted, but she didn't turn around. "Hey, Lindsay!" Flack tried again. This time Lindsay stopped, but didn't turn around to look at Flack. Flack caught up with her and put his hand on her shoulder. Turning around, Lindsay sighed and faced Flack with an annoyed look.

"What, Flack?" She demanded.

"What the hell? I run after you to make sure you're okay and you're mad at me?" Flack asked. He was incensed by the treatment he was getting from Lindsay. She had some nerve putting herself at risk and the reputation of the department on the line and then acting as if everything else were the problem.

"Sorry." Lindsay's body seemed to slump in defeat as she talked. "I've had a rough day and I just want to go home."

Flack could have left it there and wished her a safe evening, but Lindsay's attitude had gotten him thinking. It seemed to Flack that she didn't take her safety seriously. Lindsay could have been seriously hurt today, and the more Flack pictured things in his mind the angrier he became.

"What the hell were you thinking today?" Flack demanded.

His tone took Lindsay by surprise. She had expected Mac to reprimand her, but she hadn't been expecting this from Flack. Lindsay turned, trying to walk away and ignore his demand. Flack reached out and grabbed her arm, spinning her back around to face him.

"That guy had killed two women already and you gave him the perfect opportunity to do the same to you…" Flack continued. His voice continued to get louder and more malicious as he continued to picture Lindsay laying on the ground earlier in the day.

"Stop it, please." Lindsay pleaded. She had been beating herself up for this all day and was now more than embarrassed that Flack was berating her for it in public. Lindsay looked down at the sidewalk, hoping that if she looked at the small pebble in front of her long enough that Flack would leave her alone. "I wasn't thinking. Can you please let it go?"

"Damn right you weren't thinking. Are you an idiot or something? You take back up with you. Everyone knows that." Flack practically yelled. He knew that it wasn't completely her fault, but the thought of Lindsay being hurt and him not being able to do anything about it fueled his anger.

Anger seethed through Lindsay's body as she listened to Flack's tirade. Just as quickly as her anger had flared up, Lindsay yanked her arm away from Flack, wincing a little as she moved her bruised muscles, and began to walk dejectedly away.

"You're not going to ignore me, Lindsay." Flack said, jogging up beside her. "How many times have you seen victims laying in the same position that Danny found you in today? Huh? That could have been you! What did you…"

Flack stopped talking as Lindsay turned around sharply to face him, their bodies and faces only inches apart.

"What do you want me to say, Flack?" Lindsay was yelling now, but Flack couldn't hear anger in her voice, he could only hear the mixture of fear and disappointment. "What do you want from me? Please…stop yelling at me. I'm sorry."

Lindsay's voice had dissipated into a hoarse whisper. She looked around, looking anywhere but at Flack's questioning eyes. Had she looked at him, Lindsay would have seen that his eyes had no traces of anger, just care and concern.

"I'm sorry." Flack said, gently pulling Lindsay closer to him using one arm. "I shouldn't have yelled. But I was worried. I want to make sure this doesn't happen again."

Lindsay didn't say anything; she just nodded her head and sniffled a bit.

"I bet Mac was pretty hard on you, huh?" Flack asked sympathetically. Lindsay nodded and turned half of her mouth up into a smile.

"Come on." Flack said, tugging Lindsay in the direction of the parking lot. "I'll take you home. Go home, get some rest and then Danny will take us out for a beer. What do you say?"

Lindsay looked at Flack, finally seeing through the emotions that she had heard and seeing the concern and anxiety etched across his face.

"Sure. And thanks…for caring enough to yell." Lindsay said with a smile.

Lindsay knew that there was probably nothing that she could do to make Flack feel better about what had happened other than to let him take her home. Lindsay and Flack walked towards Flack's car, each appreciating the other's presence and safety.


	9. Satin Sheets

"Hey, Danny!"

Danny turned around, hearing his name being yelled down the hall. He grinned upon seeing Flack coming towards him – in an obviously better mood than their last encounter.

"I like it better when women are shouting my name, you know." Danny said cockily.

Flack rolled his eyes. "I bet you do, since it only happens in your dreams, Messer."

"Whatever." Danny shot back. "What's up?"

"Yeah, well, uh, first…sorry for getting in your face earlier. You know, about Monroe." Flack began. He glanced around to see if anyone else was following their conversation.

"Hey man, no problem." Danny assured Flack.

"I took Lindsay home. She needed some rest." Flack explained. Danny nodded his head in understandable agreement, raising his eyebrows as if to ask if there was anything else. "I told her that if she was feeling up to it, that we'd take her out for a beer tonight. Your treat."

Danny shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head in agreement, up until he hear "your treat" – at that point he stopped and stared at Flack like he was crazy.

"What do you mean _my treat_?" Danny questioned.

"Well, I kind of got out of control and yelled at Monroe…and I had to do something to get her back on my good side. Bleeding you dry seemed like a good idea at the time. What can I say?" Flack said, a grin spreading across his face.

"Sure." Danny said reluctantly. "Just tell me when and where."

Danny was going to say something else, when Stella's voice popped up in back of the two guys. One look at the mischievous and knowing glint in her eyes, told Danny and Flack that she was up to something.

"So, Flack…" Stella began. "I heard that you got all hot, bothered and overprotective."

Stella's eyes were glittering. Danny ducked his head to hide the smile that was spreading across his face. He knew that he had a reputation for being a playboy, and it was probably well deserved, but around the precinct and lab Flack had a similar reputation. The only difference is that Flack had high standards where women were involved and was pretty choosy. Flack's reputation seemed to have materialized out of thin air, and was far from the truth. Danny couldn't say as much about himself. The funny thing was that Danny knew Flack well enough to know that when he started to let down his tough-guy stance and became concerned and protective is when Flack turned started to care about someone.

Stella knew Flack as well as Danny, and sometimes she could read him like a book. Stella had seen Flack's feelings for Lindsay coming for a while now, but she didn't think that Flack realized the extent of what he was feeling.

"Stel… what are you talking about?" Flack said skeptically. He cocked his head to one side, glanced at Danny and then stared at Stella. He was trying to tell her with his body language that he thought she was crazy.

"You went postal and became a knight in shining armor earlier. I think it's sweet." Stella said. She smiled sweetly and playfully used one finger to pat Flack on the nose.

Flack immediately wrinkled his nose, and then replied. "What? And how would you know? Unless you talked to…"

"Unless I talked to Lindsay." Stella finished. "I did. She told me what happened before you took her home. Nice move, taking her home, by the way. You shouldn't have yelled though."

"Stella…" Flack warned.

"I'm not chastising you, Flack, I'm just saying…I can tell that you like her. You have feelings for her. Next time, think about acting on those feelings a different way. Women don't like it when you yell at them." Stella explained, her voice had dropped to a quieter tone so others couldn't eavesdrop and she sounded much more serious than before. "Now that I've shared my wisdom with you, I'm taking Danny back to the lab so that we can work. But if you need me, you know where to find me."

Without giving Flack time to say anything, Stella pulled Danny by the arm down the hallway into the lab. Flack was left standing on his own, thinking about what Stella had said. He would have acted the same way if it had been Stella or another one of his friends hurt today. Stella must have had too much coffee or something, what was she getting at? Flack shrugged the conversation off for the time being. He had work to do and beer to drink later with Lindsay and Danny.

Lindsay had agreed to meet Flack and Danny at a bar close to her place for a few drinks. The minute Lindsay walked into the bar, she spotted Flack and Danny at a tall table close to the bar and walked over. Both guys smiled as Lindsay sat down.

"You're feeling better. Your grandma have any secret remedies for getting kicked in the gut?" Flack said, nodding towards Lindsay.

"Yeah, uh, thanks. And, no…I owe feeling better to sleep and a lot of Advil." Lindsay said with a smile.

"We got you a beer already." Danny said by way of a greeting. "That's okay, right?"

"Yeah, thanks." Lindsay said. She was happy to be out of the house and spending time with Danny and Flack. Lindsay was just hoping that neither would bring up what happened that morning. She had already spent the entire day at home _alone_ and beating herself up over how stupid she was to go into that alley alone. But, now Lindsay had the chance to get her mind off of things.

For the first hour or so, the trio drank and chatted about anything they could think of – work, the weather, hockey, the Yankees, how cute A-Rod was (well, only Lindsay talked about that). After a few rounds of beer and a little time, talk turned louder, more drunken and more playful.

Flack and Danny had had a great time grilling Lindsay about her life and pulling embarrassing stories out of her. She had just finished telling them about the time she and her boyfriend fell off the top bunk in college, when Danny changed the subject.

"You know, Montana, I've got these great satin sheets on my bed at home…" Danny began, leaning in between Lindsay and Flack, a smirk growing across his face.

"Danny Messer, are you trying to get me in your bed?" Lindsay asked playfully. She knew full well that Danny wasn't serious. It was fun to flirt with Danny. It was part of their friendship. Banter and flirting, but nothing more.

"I never deny anyone a test run." Danny said. Danny's eyes twinkled. He enjoyed watching Lindsay blush when he flirted with her.

"That's sweet Danny, but I'm more of a flannel sheets girl myself. You know, being from Montana and all." Lindsay patted Danny's chest as she talked. Glancing at Flack, Lindsay flashed a smile and grabbed his arm. "I'm going to the little girl's room. Keep lover boy over here out of trouble, will you?"

Lindsay skipped off across the bar to the bathroom. When she was out of sight, Flack turned to face Danny head on. From the glare on Flack's face, Danny could tell something wasn't right.

"What?" Danny slurred, trying to figure out the death stare he was receiving.

"What the hell was that about?" Flack demanded.

"Exactly what are we talking about, you've lost me Flack." Danny said.

"You and the sheets. Lindsay isn't just some girl you met in a bar. She isn't one of your cheap one-night stands. She's a friend and you work with her everyday. She deserves more than you and your sheets." Flack practically yelled at Danny. Sure he wanted had to make sure that Danny could hear him over the noise in the bar, but Danny thought that his voice was a bit louder than it needed to be. In fact, Danny was just a bit confused. He wasn't using Lindsay. He wasn't even trying to seduce her and pick her up. It was just a thing they did. Danny figured that Flack knew that by now.

"Whoa buddy." Danny said, throwing his hands up in defense. "You got the wrong idea, man."

"Do I?" Demanded Flack.

"I wasn't serious back there, and Lindsay knows it. It's just a thing we do. Haven't we had this conversation already?" Danny explained, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Flack and wondered about the source of his concern.

"I don't get it, man." Flack muttered.

"What don't you get?" Lindsay said quizzically, appearing behind Flack and pushing her way back into the middle of the group.

"How you can listen to country music." Danny said, jumping in and saving Flack from explaining himself to either Danny or Lindsay.

"Flack you haven't lived until you've spent a weekend relaxing and listening to country music." Lindsay said. She brought her hand up to Flack's cheek, cupping it in with her palm and then playfully slapping his cheek.

"You'll have to enlighten me sometime." Flack said quietly. Lindsay almost didn't hear him over the roar of the bar.

"Hey, Danny… thanks for the beer, but I'm going to get going. I think the knot on my head is growing again." Lindsay said, excusing herself from the gathering. Danny smiled, said something about calling if she needed more Advil and turned to talk to a pretty girl who had just "bumped into him". Lindsay turned to Flack, smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm actually really tired and want to go to bed. Are you coming with me?"

Flack stopped dead in his tracks. He was sure that he had heard Lindsay right and that she had just invited him into her bed. It was possible that Flack's ears were clogged, but he was a cop and he was trained to listen and get things right. In his mind, Flack had something smart to say back to Lindsay.

"Huh?" Flack was able to mumble.

"Earlier you insisted that you were going to share a taxi with me and make sure I got home safely. I'm really ready to go. Are you still insisting on delivering me to my doorstep?" Lindsay asked, completely unaware of the effect her words had had on Flack.

Oh…well…yeah…now Flack remembered saying all of that. It had been about 3 beers ago, but now he remembered feeling chivalrous and telling Lindsay that he wanted to make sure that she got home okay. Flack settled up with Danny and left a tip for the waitress before gently putting his hand on the small of Lindsay's back and guiding her out of the bar and into a waiting taxi.

In the cab, Lindsay slumped against Flack and sighed.

"Thanks for tonight. I needed to get my mind off of things." Lindsay closed her eyes briefly, the alcohol and exhaustion in her system mixing. "We should do this again."

"Monroe…you asking me out?" Flack asked, eyeing Lindsay and looking for her to start laughing at her practical joke or something.

"Not so much." Lindsay said sleepily. "Maybe. I have fun with you…and maybe even Danny. We should go out more often."

Flack smiled down at Lindsay and brushed a piece of hair out of her face. He wondered how much of this conversation Lindsay would remember the next day.


	10. Light Shade of Black

"Danny I think I've got a match…" Lindsay was saying as she walked into their office. She quickly stopped talking when she noticed that Adam was already in the office talking to Danny. Politely, Lindsay waited for them to finish.

"Sure, man, sounds like fun." Danny was saying to Adam. He bobbed his head back and forth and turned up the corners of his mouth while he was talking. "I'll be there."

Adam was about to walk out of the office, when he turned and noticed Lindsay standing behind him.

"Hey, Monroe, my roommates and I are having a party tonight… just drinks and things. A bunch people from the lab and precinct are coming. You should come too." Adam said, inviting Lindsay with a smile. Danny watched the exchange with humor. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that Adam had a thing for Lindsay – which would be weird considering the amount of time that Lindsay usually spent yelling at him for results.

"Thanks Adam, that sounds like fun." Lindsay replied nicely. "Do you mind if I bring someone with me?"

"You bringing Flack?" Adam asked. The moment the words had left his mouth and he saw the confused look on Lindsay's face and the look of sheer enjoyment of Danny's, Adam started to recant his question.

"Why would I bring Flack?" Lindsay asked. She crinkled up her nose and looked from Adam, to Danny and back to Adam again, genuinely confused. "Whatever. I had had plans with a neighbor in my building. I just thought that they could come so I didn't have to cancel."

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Adam said quickly, feeling like he needed to get out of Danny and Lindsay's office as soon as possible. "We'll see you there, then."

Adam walked out of the office and Lindsay sank into her desk chair. She sighed and when she looked up, Danny was staring at her. Danny let out a high whistle and laughed as he looked at Lindsay.

"If looks could kill, Montana." Danny said when he got his laughter under control.

"What?"

"If looks could kill, we'd be looking for a new DNA tech around the lab." Danny continued.

"What are you talking about, Messer?"

Lindsay only used Danny's last name when she was getting irritated or bantering with him. Danny knew Lindsay well enough to know that it was the prior – she was becoming annoyed with him and was wishing more than anything that they'd just get back to work.

"I'm just saying that when Adam mentioned Flack, the looks you were shooting him were deadlier than a cobra with wings."

"A cobra with wings? Danny, I don't think you can do that to the English language. And as for Adam, I have no idea what you're talking about." Lindsay was thoroughly confused. She didn't have a clue what Adam had been referring to earlier and Danny was only leaving her more bewildered. Lindsay decided that she preferred to drop the subject all together. "Now, can I tell you about the match that I got from trace?"

Danny couldn't tell if she was truly clueless or just trying to get him to drop the conversation. Chuckling, Danny let Lindsay spread the trace evidence before him and make the connections for herself.

* * *

When Lindsay waked into Adam's party two things surprised her. She didn't realize Adam lived in such a _huge_ place, and she didn't realize that Adam had so many friends. As she stepped in through Adam's door, she had to stop and catch her breath at the sight before her. There had to be at least 50-60 people at this party. There were people everywhere. The lights were low. There was a part of the living room where people were dancing and there was a rather well stocked bar set up on a counter in the kitchen. Lindsay turned around to make sure that her companion for the evening was still behind her.

"Wow." Lindsay said to the guy standing in back of her. "Adam really knows how to throw a shindig."

"I should say so." Replied Lindsay's friend.

Lindsay's "friend" was actually Lindsay's next-door neighbor from her building. Will had graciously welcomed Lindsay to the building with a basket of still-warm banana nut muffins on the day Lindsay moved in. She and Will had been good friends ever since. Will worked as an interior designer and freelance artist. Lindsay had always enjoyed hanging out with him, and had had plans to grab dinner with him when Adam invited her over for his party. Feeling that she needed to socialize with people from work too, Lindsay had simply opted to bring Will with her. If nothing else, Lindsay and Will could check out the hot guys at the party together. Lindsay and Will grabbed some beer and made their way to one end of Adam's living room to talk and watch the guys.

On the other side of the room, Stella was talking animatedly with Flack and Danny. Stella was in the middle of explaining some huge plan to Danny when she caught sight of Lindsay.

"Oh, hey! There's Lindsay." Stella said, interrupting her own conversation.

At the mention of Lindsay's name, Flack's head snapped up. Sure enough, Lindsay was standing on the other side of the room. Her body swayed to the music and she was sipping her beer elegantly. Then Flack noticed that she was talking to a guy. He narrowed his eyes, glaring and attempting to get a better look.

"Why don't you go say hi. Take her a beer or something." Stella said. She woke Flack up out of his thoughts and he turned to look at her.

"She already has a beer. Plus she's got a guy with her. Who is he, anyway?" Flack said. Stella and Danny could tell from the faint change in the tone of his voice that he was disappointed.

"I don't know." Stella said, shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe a date, boyfriend, male escort… who knows? You're a detective. If you really want to know, go find out. All I know is that I'm going to go talk to her. See you boys later."

Stella pushed her way through the crowd of people and made her way to Lindsay. The music was loud and the room seemed only louder where Lindsay was when you added in the volume of everyone's voices.

"Hi Stella!" Lindsay exclaimed as she saw Stella make her way towards her. "Stel, this is my friend Will. He lives next door to me."

Will and Stella exchanged pleasantries and began talking about Will's profession. Lindsay just listened quietly, every now and then casually looking over her shoulder to check on the location of Danny and Flack. She didn't know why she was so concerned about where they were and why they hadn't come over to say hello, but Lindsay just couldn't resist the urge to check on them every few seconds.

"Lindsay?" Stella asked. Lindsay turned to look at Stella, only to realize that Stella had called her name a few times now.

"Huh?" Lindsay stammered.

"I was asking you what you're looking at." Stella said. That same mischievous and knowing smile spread across her lips.

"Oh….maybe she's looking at that fine guy over there. The one by the bar. Oh, is he hot." Will interjected. Stella looked over at Will to see if she had heard him right. Will, catching Stella's questioning look, clarified things for her. "Oh yes, darling, I'm what my mother used to say is _that light shade of black minus the "r"_…..I'm gay."

Stella smiled and turned to see what guy Will was talking about.

"Who are you talking about?" Lindsay asked, suddenly a lot more interested.

"That god-like man over by the bar. The one with the perfect body, looks like he could be an Italian Stallion…..blue eyes, glasses." Will ticked off the guy's many features on his fingers as he talked.

When Will got to the part about the glasses, Lindsay almost spit her beer out and Stella almost choked on her drink.

"Sorry, Will." Lindsay said playfully. "That's Danny and he's got a girlfriend."

"That's too bad. We were perfect for each other." Will said with a laugh as Stella and Lindsay joined in.

Across the room, Flack was still watching Lindsay and her growing group of friends.

"What do you think they're laughing about?" Flack asked Danny. Danny had been watching a gorgeous blonde walk across the dance floor and close to the bar and wasn't really paying attention to Lindsay and Stella.

"I don't know…..you?" Danny asked smartly.

Flack punched him in the shoulder. "Cut it out. You really don't know who that guy is?"

"Nah man, not a clue." Danny shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "You know, good for Montana if she brought a date to the party. I don't think she's had the best track record with guys since she moved. She's too trusting."

Flack stared at Danny, looked back at Lindsay with concern and finished off his beer.

Lindsay looked at Will and indicated that she was ready to leave. Will grabbed her coat, handed it to her and guided her through the crowd in Adam's place to the door. As they pushed through the crowd, Will moved a bit in front of Lindsay pulling her by her hand and then let the crowd separate them an inch or two as they headed for the door.

Lindsay was concentrating on keeping up with Will when she felt a hand grab her arm and pull her back.

"You leaving?" Flack asked, putting his beer down on the bar and taking a few steps towards Lindsay.

"Yeah." Lindsay said, flashing Flack a look that asked why he wanted to know.

"You leaving with him?" Flack nodded his head towards the door where Will was waiting for Lindsay.

"Yes." The exasperation was evident in Lindsay's voice; even Danny could pick up on it from where he was standing near the bar.

"You can't leave with him." Flack stated plainly.

Lindsay looked down at her arm. Flack's hand still had a firm grasp on her wrist. He wasn't letting go.

"I can leave with whoever I want. Let go." Lindsay said, attempting to free her wrist from Flack's hand. Lindsay shot a look past Flack to Danny, pleading for a little help. Danny was so confused and amused by the scene in front of him that he didn't notice Lindsay's look of desperation.

"You're not going home with some random guy, Lindsay. You're not leaving here with him." Flack said again, his grip tightening around Lindsay's wrist.

Lindsay yanked her arm down forcefully. Then sudden movement caused Flack to loosen his grip and then lose Lindsay altogether.

"You're either drunk or crazy. But you're wrong; I am leaving here with him." Lindsay nearly spat the last few words at Flack. She turned on her heel and walked away from the bar, saying goodnight to Danny over her shoulder.

As Lindsay and Will walked out the door to the bar, Flack turned his head and walked back to his beer. What he found was Danny looking at him, his eyebrows raised.

"What was that about man?" Danny asked, a grin snaking its way across his face.

"What? That?" Flack asked innocently. He was beginning to think that maybe he had been a little too protective of Lindsay. "I was just looking out for her safety. Lot of thanks I got."

"Uh huh." Danny murmured. "Sure."

"Can we just drop it?" Flack asked, picking up his beer and drinking it before Danny could ask him anything else.


	11. Crazy Is as Crazy Does

By the time Lindsay and Will had made it back to their building and Lindsay had gotten Will to stop talking about how cute Danny was, it had been kind of late. Lindsay smiled as she made her way to her bedroom and began pulling off her clothes. She had had a great time at Adam's tonight. Lindsay thought it was nice to be able to get out and be with her friends outside of the crime scenes and the lab.

As Lindsay pulled on a pair of striped pajama bottoms over her legs and then a tank top over her head, she thought back to the party and Flack. What had that been about? Flack had met Will before, about three weeks ago. What right did he have to tell her whom she could and couldn't share a cab with? God, Flack could be so weird sometimes.

Lindsay walked into her kitchen to grab a bottle of water before heading off to bed. As she listened to the plastic ring around the top of the bottle snap apart, her buzzer rang, announcing a guest outside. Lindsay flung open her door, ready to reprimand whoever was on the other side only to shake her head and smirk at the sight she saw.

Standing on the other side of her door was one of her favorite NYPD detectives. Flack was leaning against the door jam with his eyelids were half closed. He looked as if he was about to fall asleep or pass out standing right there in Lindsay's doorway.

"Flack?" Lindsay asked skeptically. Lindsay couldn't tell if she had turned his name into a question out of the need to ask why he was there or simply to make sure that he was still conscious.

Suddenly, in a slower movement than normal, Flack righted his body and stood up. He looked Lindsay in the eyes and turned up one side of his mouth lazily into a half smile.

"Can I come in?" Flack asked.

Without saying anything, Lindsay pushed her door open further and silently invited him in. Flack walked in and headed directly towards the couch, but stopped after a few steps.

"I'm sorry."

Lindsay turned to look at Flack. She saw his sincere, business-like look – one that usually only saw on the job. Taking a few seconds, Lindsay smiled warmly and looked up at him.

"For what?" Lindsay asked, honestly wanting to know.

"For tonight. I shouldn't have grabbed you. I shouldn't have yelled…"

"I don't think you yelled…" Lindsay interjected, but Flack didn't stop.

"… I shouldn't have done any of that." Flack finished, walked over to the couch and sank down onto with a thud.

"Flack, that was just you being… you." Lindsay said. "You just became a little crazed with it."

"Crazy is as crazy does." Flack muttered.

"All right, Forest Gump," Lindsay said sarcastically. Lindsay was going to ask Flack something else, but he continued talking.

"Going home with random guys isn't the smartest thing…" Lindsay could tell from Flack's speech that on top of everything else, that he was drunk.

"You know, Flack, he wasn't a random guy. Will's my neighbor. You've met him before, remember?" Lindsay's voice had taken on a new tone. She was annoyed that Flack had stumbled into her apartment, drunk, to continue the craziness from earlier at Adam's.

"Will? Will…" It seemed to Lindsay that Flack believed if he said the name enough, something would come to him. "Will… Will… Will? The interior designer? The gay guy?"

There it was. There was the recognition. Flack knew that he had looked familiar. He _had_ met him, about two and a half weeks ago over at Lindsay's before they had met up with Danny for dinner one night. Will. Oh, Will. Flack realized that he had been jealous. He had been jealous of a gay guy. He had been jealous of a gay guy that Lindsay had introduced him to before.

"Sorry. It never clicked. Danny said that you're too trusting and that you've had problems with the guys from around here. I didn't want to see you get hurt. I may have been jealous…" Flack said from the couch. His voice trailed off at the end.

Lindsay had walked back into the kitchen to get Flack a bottle of water that she knew he would need. The word "jealous" got her attention. Lindsay froze for just a moment, a second or two really, to make sure that she had heard Flack right. As she walked over to the couch, she started talking.

"Danny Messer needs to figure out when to keep his mouth shut…"

Lindsay realized that this was the end of the conversation for the night. Flack's whole body had tipped sideways. He was asleep, his head resting on the arm of the couch and a light snore resonating from his chest. Lindsay smiled as she put his bottle of water down on the coffee table. She carefully pulled off his shoes and lugged Flack's legs up onto the couch. He didn't look incredibly comfortable, but he could take care of that himself – Lindsay knew enough about dead weight to know that she couldn't reposition this body. Picking up her own bottle of water, Lindsay made her way into her bedroom, turning off the lights as she went.

Flack moaned and rubbed his forehead, trying to make the ringing go away. It was about that time that Flack realized the ringing wasn't in his head, it was coming from the coffee table next to him. He was in the middle of wondering why he was on a couch and whose coffee table he was next to, when it occurred to him that he should answer his phone.

"Hello?" Flack asked with a scratchy, sleepy voice.

"Yo, sleeping beauty! Time to wake up. You gotta be at work in an hour."

"Messer?" Flack asked. He pushed a fluffy comforter off of his chest and sat up to look around. "Danny, why are you calling me?"

"Lindsay had to leave for an early call out this morning and didn't want to wake you up. She's out in the field right now, so I'm calling to make sure that you get your butt up off her couch, take a shower and get to work." Danny explained. Flack swore he could hear Danny's low chuckle on the other side of the phone. "So how drunk were you last night if you ended up on Lindsay's doorstep?"

"Whatever, man. I'll see you around." Flack flipped his phone closed and stretched to get the kinks out of his body. The night before trickled back into his mind. Flack had about an hour before he needed to be at work, and he needed a shower and some new clothes before work could happen. It was then, that a note tucked between his shoes caught his eye.

Flack – 

_Hope you slept well. You can leave the blanket on the couch. Here's a key to the apartment so you can lock up when you leave. Just give it back when we see each other at work. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen…there's water in the fridge. You might need it. _

Lindsay 

Flack smiled as he slipped on his shoes and slipped the note into his pants pocket. Grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, Flack headed out the door and made sure to lock up as he left.


	12. Ruckus

Lindsay felt like she had been leaning over the microscope for hours, days even by the kink she was developing in her neck and back. She had actually finished analyzing her evidence a few minutes ago, but Lindsay wanted to appear busy for a little while longer. For the last two or three minutes, Lindsay had gotten the distinct impression that someone was watching her from the doorway behind her. Now Lindsay remained bent over her microscope looking over and over her evidence to see how long it would take the person in the doorway to come in.

Flack had been standing in the doorway to the trace lab for a few minutes now. He didn't think that Lindsay knew he was there. Sometimes watching Lindsay work was like watching a yoga class – it looked intricate, but was relaxing all at the same time.

"Do I have a nice butt?" Lindsay called out without looking over her shoulder to see who it was.

Lindsay's voice and question startled Flack. He jumped a little bit and walked into the lab while trying to figure out how to answer Lindsay's question. Flack knew the answer; he just didn't think that the middle of the lab was the place to say it.

"Uh…well…How did you know it wasn't Mac standing there?" Flack said, finally recovering.

"I didn't. But Mac doesn't just stand in the doorway for close to five minutes staring at my butt." Lindsay said. She swung her stool around so that she could face Flack. Lindsay could swear that she saw him blushing.

"I wasn't staring at your butt." Flack insisted. His eyes darted around the lab, making sure that no one else was around.

"I must have really nice shoulder blades then." Lindsay said, rolling her eyes.

"You have…never mind." Flack started and then stopped. Finally he took a deep breath and got around to asking Lindsay the question he had originally stopped by to ask. "Lindsay, are you going to Stella's Valentine's Day party tonight?"

This year Valentine's Day fell on a Tuesday. Everyone had agreed that no one felt like having a party on a Tuesday and then showing up to work early the next morning. So Stella decided to hold a Pre-Valentine's Day party on the Saturday before. It was supposed to be a small get together at her place, but more and more people said they were coming, so it had morphed into a cocktail party at Mac's place – hosted by Stella.

Lindsay made some sort of grimace with her mouth and contorted her face when Flack mentioned Stella's party. Flack cocked his head to one side and looked at her, silently asking her what the problem was.

"I don't think so. I have to work the late shift, and I don't think I'll feel like going home to get dressed up and going half way across the city after working." Lindsay said. Flack thought he heard a hint of disappointment in her voice, though the rest of her body didn't convey to him that she felt too bad about missing Stella's party.

"Hey, I'm going to Ruckus after my shift tonight to get a drink. You want to come? It's close to the lab and doesn't require getting dressed up." Flack offered. He hoped that Lindsay would accept. Watching Lindsay, Flack could read her thoughts just by looking at her eyes. He observed her think things through and consider all the possibilities.

"You aren't going to Stella's?" Lindsay finally asked curiously.

"Nah. Same reasons as you…plus I just don't feel like being around all those lovey-dovey people who are in the mood for Valentine's Day." Flack admitted.

"Okay. You've won me over. I'll meet you there after my shift?" Lindsay said, flashing Flack a smile.

"You're on. I'll be waiting." Flack walked triumphantly out of the lab, feeling oddly eager to get back to work and finish things up.

* * *

Ruckus looked like a normal bar from the street. It looked like a normal bar on the inside too, the only thing that was different were the many screens all over the bar that showed continuous rugby games. Lindsay had never been to this bar before, she had only walked past it a few times, but tonight she had no problems finding it and finding her way inside. Once inside, Lindsay spotted Flack right away. He was in towards the back of the bar with a group of about ten guys. They all had a beer and were talking animatedly about something.

As Lindsay walked inside, she immediately shrugged off her coat. Flack turned around and instantly noticed her in the crowd, making her way over to him. Flack smiled. Lindsay looked great tonight, though Flack was beginning to think that Lindsay looked great all the time. She looked comfortable and happy in her jeans, and cute in her low cut and frilly top. Flack walked over to meet her halfway into the bar and took Lindsay's coat from her. Lindsay smiled warmly at Flack, as he put his hand on the small of her back to guide her over to where his group of friends was.

Lindsay's arrival had gotten more than just Flack's attention. All of Flack's friends had followed Flack with their eyes and were staring at Lindsay with approval and envy. Lindsay smiled and said a shy hello to the group as they approached.

"Wow, Flack…what did you have to do to get her to show up here with you?" One of the guys asked jokingly.

"Hey, sweetheart, don't waste your time with that joker." Another guy said, referring to Flack. "I'm right here for you."

"Hey! Cut it out and leave her alone." Flack said sternly. He wasn't taking the ribbing and joking all that well. Lindsay just looked at Flack and smiled, shaking her head. "She's a cop just like you, and I've seen Lindsay take down guys bigger than you."

"God, who knew we had such hotties at the NYPD." The first guy said earnestly. Suddenly he walked over to Lindsay and handed her a beer. "You're one of us, sweetie. The beer is on me."

Lindsay took all of this as a compliment. In the span of just a few minutes, she had the respect of fellow NYPD officers, there were a handful of men in love with her and buying her drinks, and Flack was being overprotective.

In just a short time, Lindsay found herself having fun. Flack's friends were lively and they keep insisting on buying Lindsay drinks. After three beers and a game of darts, Lindsay was standing next to Flack, who had been kind of quiet since trying to defend Lindsay's honor earlier in the night.

"Flack," Lindsay said, getting his attention by putting her hand on his chest and turning to face him. "Thanks for inviting me. I've had a lot of fun. I have to admit I don't think I'd be having as good of a time at Stella's tonight. Especially without you. So, thanks."

Flack was taken aback by her comment, for a moment. He could tell that Lindsay had been enjoying herself, but Lindsay seemed so genuinely happy and delighted with the night. Flack had been quiet for a while, and it was unnerving Lindsay. Usually Flack was full of quick, sarcastic comments. He always kept her on her toes. This silent side was beginning to drive Lindsay crazy.

"Let's dance!" Lindsay blurted out. Flack stared at her as if she had just announced that he had five eyes in the middle of his head. "Come on. Please!"

Lindsay had a hold of Flack's hand and was gently tugging him towards the dance floor. Flack was still rooted in place staring at her.

"_Please_…" Lindsay begged, batting her eyelashes, smiling and squeezing Flack's hand.

"Man, if you're not going to dance with her I'll go. Just let me know." One of Flack's passing buddies said into his ear.

With that, Flack willed his feet to start moving. As he closed the gap between Lindsay and himself, Lindsay started walking again, literally leading him to the dance floor. When they got to the dance floor, Flack gently pulled Lindsay close to him so they were close together. Suddenly Flack dropped Lindsay's hand and looked down at the floor.

"I don't dance, Linds." Flack said quietly. Lindsay almost didn't hear him.

"What?" Lindsay asked, not really sure what she had heard the first time.

"I can't really dance all that well." Here Flack was, standing in the middle of a group of dancing people, and telling Lindsay that he couldn't dance was mortally embarrassing him. Could his night get any worse? Because, let's face it, any guy in the bar would jump at the chance to dance with Lindsay.

Flack was brought back to reality and yanked out of his thoughts when Lindsay hand connected with his chest. And when it connected, it connected hard. Lindsay hit Flack in the chest and started laughing.

"What do you mean you don't dance? You listen to the music and bob up and down. It's not that hard." Lindsay said, still chuckling. "Come on. I want to dance and I want to dance with you. What's one thing you know about me, Flack?"

"You usually get what you want." Flack said with a smile. "Okay, fine. Let's dance."

Flack pulled Lindsay and little closer and they started moving to the music. Lindsay moved her body in ways that Flack didn't know were possible. Flack bounced up and down to the rhythm, and found that it wasn't too hard to appear like he knew what he was doing.

Lindsay had had enough to drink that she felt freed but not drunk. She thought that Flack trying to dance was cute, especially since he was doing it to make her happy. Lindsay couldn't help but notice how much closer Flack had gotten to her while they were dancing, the bodies always brushing up against each other while they danced. Suddenly the music changed and slowed. Lindsay glanced up at Flack, asking him silently if he was okay with the change in music. She got her answer when he snaked his arms around her body, letting them rest on her hips. Lindsay let her hand wander up Flack's chest to rest on his shoulders. One of her hands idly fingered his hair at the base of his neck.

"See." Lindsay said quietly into Flack's ear, since she was so close now. "You're aren't as bad at this as you think."

"You have no idea." Flack mumbled. Lindsay could feel one of his arms wrap tighter around her, pulling her closer, as his other hand moved to the nape of her neck. As Flack pulled Lindsay closer, he brought his lips down on hers.

It wasn't a gentle chaste kiss as Lindsay might have expected. Flack's lips came crashing down onto hers, almost as if he intended to devour her. Lindsay was startled, her body tensing at the action. Instinctively, Lindsay rose up on her toes and found that instead of pushing Flack away, Lindsay found herself opening her mouth to grant Flack access and grabbing at his hair, pulling him closer.

When the need for air overtook his need for Lindsay, Flack pulled away. He kissed Lindsay once more with a quick peck on the lips and then led her off the dance floor. Lindsay hopped up on a stool against a wall in the bar, and Flack brought over a beer for each of them. Flack handed Lindsay a beer and grinned silently. Both took a drink and looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Deciding to break the silence, Flack set his beer down and leaned in towards Lindsay. His lips connected with hers again, and again he could feel that he wasn't the sole participant in the kiss. When they finally broke apart, Flack looked at Lindsay and took her in.

"You're going to kill me for this when I see you tomorrow, aren't you?" Flack asked, shaking his head. He still couldn't quite believe that he had spent the last few minutes kissing Lindsay Monroe.

"No. Not at all." Lindsay said. She suddenly felt shy with Flack's gaze so focused on her. She had no idea what she was doing, but she did know that she didn't hate Flack for what had happened. "Plus, I don't work tomorrow, so your chances of me killing you are somewhat reduced."

Lindsay and Flack made small talk and talked to Flack's friends again, never going back to the topic of their kisses. After a while, Lindsay slipped off her chair and stood up. She turned to look at Flack, putting her hand gently on his arm to get his attention.

"Uh, I'm going to get going. Thanks again for inviting me tonight. I really enjoyed myself." Lindsay said.

"You leaving?" Flack asked. Lindsay nodded her head and smiled. "Hey, why don't I take you home?" Flack offered.

"No thanks. You stay here with your friends." Lindsay said.

"Linds, I'm not going to let you walk out alone into the streets of New York in the middle of the night. Let me get my stuff." Flack turned around, looking for his coat. He stopped, though, when he felt Lindsay's hand grab his arm gently.

"I'm a big girl, Flack, I'll be fine. You stay." Lindsay took one look at the skeptical look on Flack's face and added, "If you want, you can hail a cab for me. That's a New York trick that I still haven't perfected."

"Anything I can do to help." Flack said with a smile as he guided Lindsay out of the bar.

It didn't take long for Flack to get a cab for Lindsay and give the driver his address. As Lindsay slid into the backseat of the cab, Flack leaned in for one last kiss. He had already decided that if this turned into something awkward, he could blame it on the massive amounts of beer that the both of them had consumed. As he pulled his lips away from Lindsay's, Flack thought that he could see her cheeks turning pink in the dark night. Lindsay smiled and put up her small hand to wave as Flack shut the door and the cab sped off.

Flack smiled to himself as he swaggered back inside. This wasn't how he intended his night to go, but it had been a great night all the same. Now he was left wondering if Lindsay would remember all this when they got back to work on Monday.


	13. Valentine's Day Massacre

It was Valentine's Day and Flack only had two hours left of his shift. Two hours in which he could think about how he hadn't seen or talked to Lindsay since they had been at Ruckus three days ago. Two long hours. In fact, he was counting down the minutes until he'd be able go home. Today had been a slow day. There hadn't been any homicidal spurned lovers, no insane shootings of FTD deliverymen, no Valentine's Day massacres of any kind. Flack hated slow days.

"Hey Flack, wait up!"

Flack was almost ready to walk out the front doors of the lab when, at the sound of her voice, he turned to see Lindsay jogging down the hallway, trying to catch up with him.

"You're a hard man to catch." Lindsay said, finally coming to a stop in front of him.

"You have no idea, honey." Flack said. He smiled and nodded towards the items in Lindsay's hand. "What do you have there?"

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lindsay said with some pride, thrusting her hand forward.

Lindsay shoved a small cardboard heart into Flack's hand. It was wrapped in plastic and had a cartoon crocodile in running shoes running down a path of brightly colored hearts. Attached to the side of the box was a small valentine, the type that kids give to each other at school. Flack looked at the gift and couldn't help but laugh. Only Lindsay could pull off making something that looked like it came from an eight year old a cool gift to give to an adult.

For a moment, Flack didn't know what to say. Lindsay Monroe had given him a valentine. He was actually touched. He hadn't expected this today. Flack's feelings of warmth and gooeyness were replaced with panic and worry. Should he have gotten her something? Would she be upset that he didn't have anything for her?

Flack was shaken out of his thoughts by Lindsay's voice.

"Flack? You okay? It's just chocolate." Lindsay said, gently touching him on the arm and trying to get some reaction from Flack.

Flack brought his eyes up to meet Lindsay's.

"Thank you. I mean it. This was really nice of you. I didn't expect anything like this." Flack meant every word and brought his hand up to his chest to emphasize his point. He was almost at a loss for words.

"It was nothing. I just wanted you to have a good Valentine's Day." Lindsay said with her usual genuine Montana smile. Taking a look at Flack, she quickly added, "Really, it was nothing I gave one to Mac and Danny, too. Even Sid. My grandmother always sends me about twenty of them to give out to friends. I think she buys them in bulk at Costco or something. It's silly really, but I like it."

Flack realized that Lindsay was rambling. He liked it. He thought it was cute that Lindsay couldn't quite figure out how to end the conversation and kept talking instead. A voice from behind Lindsay ended the conversation for her.

"Should'a had you pegged for a Costco girl, Montana." Danny said as he walked past Flack and Lindsay.

"Like you've never been, Messer." Lindsay shot back.

"Think what you like Montana, but I'm not one to buy in bulk like you country people." Danny shifted his gaze from Lindsay to Flack and winked, letting Flack know that he was enjoying getting a rise out of his partner. Danny walked on, leaving Flack and Lindsay alone again in the hall.

"So, anyway…happy Valentine's Day, Flack." Lindsay finished with a smile.

"Thanks, Lindsay. Thanks a lot." Flack said, meaning it.

Lindsay turned around and walked back towards her lab, leaving Flack to continue out of the lab alone, but with his crocodile chocolates and valentine in his hand.


	14. Bubbly and Pudding

Lindsay was working late. She didn't have any plans for Valentine's Day like other people, so she didn't mind picking up the extra shift. Lindsay felt like she had been staring at the fibers under the microscope for an eternity. Truthfully, she wasn't too sure why she expected to find something different the third and fourth time she bent over to stare through the lens.

A buzzing in her pocket shook Lindsay from the monotony of her microscope. She reached into her pocket to retrieve her cell phone and could only imagine the look that washed over her face as she stared at the caller ID.

"Monroe." Lindsay chose to answer the phone professionally, a little confused about why she was receiving a call in the first place.

"Hey, Monroe…Lindsay. It's Don….Flack." Flack was having problems stringing together a sentence and could almost hear Lindsay smiling on the other side of the phone.

"Yes, Flack. I have caller ID you know. What's up? I didn't think you were working tonight." Lindsay asked.

"I'm not working. This really doesn't have anything to do with work. When do you get off tonight?" Flack asked bluntly.

"In about an hour or so. Why?" Lindsay was finding this phone call interesting to say the least.

"Um, I have something for you." Flack said.

Lindsay could swear that he sounded almost shy, definitely unlike his usual, confident almost cocky self.

"Okay. Do you just want to drop if off at the lab. Like I said, I'll be here for at least another hour or so."

"Can I meet you at your place?" Flack asked quickly.

Lindsay was a little taken aback by the question, but then thought differently of it. Flack had been to her place before. Usually it was when he and Danny were picking her up to go out or when they all got together for pizza. This seemed different, but Lindsay could tell that for some reason, Flack really wanted to do this at her apartment.

The silence on the other end of the phone was beginning to wear on Flack's nerves. Had Lindsay hung up? He took a deep breath, and was about to ask if she was still there, when Lindsay spoke.

"Sure you can come over. Why don't I call you when I'm leaving the lab and you can meet me at my place?" Lindsay asked.

"That sounds great. I'll see you later Linds." Flack said, his voice sounding lighter and happier than before.

* * *

As promised, Lindsay had called Flack on her way out of the lab…although a bit more than an hour later. Now it was 11:15 and Lindsay was walking through her apartment to answer the door. She had changed out of her work clothes and thrown on a pair of jeans and a dark pink, V-neck sweater.

From outside the door, Flack could hear Lindsay look through the peephole just before the door swung open.

Lindsay opened the door, surprised to see Flack standing in front of her holding a wide cardboard box. She stood in her doorway and smiled for a moment.

"You going to invite me in?" Flack said, shifting the box and his stance to redistribute the weight he was carrying. As he shifted, Lindsay heard glass clink together.

"It all depends on what's in the box Detective Flack." Lindsay said with a smile on her face.

"Just let me in, huh? This is getting heavy." Flack nodded towards the box in his arms.

Lindsay pushed the door open and held it open for him to enter. Flack walked into the kitchen and set the box down on the counter. He waited in the kitchen, watching Lindsay walk the door and stare at him with an inquisitive look.

"What's in the box?" Lindsay said, walking over and trying to peek in.

"No peeking." Flack said, playfully swatting her hand away. "You sit, and I'll explain."

Lindsay hopped up on the counter and obediently sat, waiting for her explanation.

"It's your Valentine's Day present." Flack said, glancing at Lindsay to gauge her reaction and then looking intently at the box. Lindsay began to protest, but Flack stopped her. "Before you say anything…you gave me a valentine, so I thought I should give you something too. I thought and thought about what a girl like you would like – what a girl like you deserves. So I came up with this."

The entire time he walked, Flack took things out of his box. Two champagne glasses, a bottle of champagne, a small bowl of strawberries, two glass bowls, two spoons and a Tupperware container of chocolate pudding. Flack skillfully filled the glass bowls with chocolate pudding and the glasses with champagne. Turning to Lindsay, he presented her with a glass of champagne, a bowl of chocolate pudding and a smile.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lindsay."

Lindsay was a little taken aback. For a moment, Flack had rendered her speechless. She had given him a cheap box of chocolates from Costco, and he had brought her chocolate, strawberries and champagne.

"I'll have you know, Ms. Monroe, that this isn't the instant stuff either." Flack could tell by the look on Lindsay's face that she liked her present. It made him a little surer of himself and the smile creeping across his face proved it.

"I didn't think you could cook." Lindsay said skeptically. "I figured you for the type of guy that lives off of takeout and would burn toast beyond recognition."

"Stop talking and eat your pudding." Flack said, handing her a strawberry to chase her champagne with.

Flack and Lindsay ate pudding and sipped champagne in silence, stealing glances at each other in between bites.

"Hey, come here." Lindsay said.

Flack walked to where Lindsay was sitting on the counter. He came close enough so his legs were just brushing her knees. Lindsay reached up with her thumb and gently touched his cheek and the corner of his lips.

"You had a little pudding there. Were you saving it for later?" Lindsay asked with a smile.

"Nah. I can always make more." Flack said.

"Thank you, Don. This is the nicest Valentine's Day I've ever had." Lindsay's voice was quieter and lighter than it had been before. The look in Lindsay's eyes wasn't lost on Flack. Neither was the fact that she had called him by his first name and that her hand was now resting on his shoulder with her thumb trailing down his jaw.

Flack took another sip of champagne and moved his body forward. Lindsay was still sitting on the counter. Flack leaned in, placing one hand on the counter next to Lindsay and his other on the cabinets behind her, effectively boxing her in. He leaned in so that his head was close to hers. She could feel his body heat on her body. Lindsay looked up and Flack's lips gently made contact with hers as he gently kissed her. Lindsay was surprised by the fact that Flack was kissing her. Flack slowly broke the kiss off and looked at Lindsay.

"Linds?" Flack's voice wavered just a bit. He didn't quite know how to take Lindsay's silence. She seemed to be frozen in place and Flack worried that he had offended her. He tried again. "Linds?"

Lindsay could feel the color rising in her cheeks and her face getting warmer. Lindsay finished off her champagne, set her glass on the counter next to her and leaned in, closer to Flack. Her lips brushed his, gently and tenderly. Flack brought his hand down from the cupboard to the back of Lindsay's head, pulling her closer. He sent his lips crashing down onto hers. Flack heard a small sound come from Lindsay. For a moment he thought it was a protest, until her tongue met his and she deepened the kiss.

Flack wrapped his arms around Lindsay snaking them into her hair and down her back. Lindsay's hands found the fringes of Flack's hair at the nape of his neck and her legs seemed to impulsively wrap around Flack, pulling him closer. Flack pulled Lindsay off the counter, stumbled a bit and then balanced himself.

Flack pulled back a bit and looked at Lindsay. He loved the way her cheeks flushed and how he could feel her heart pounding through her sweater. Her undeniable fragrance radiated off her body and her silky fingers were gracefully tracing their way up and down his chest.

Everything seemed to slow down for Lindsay, almost as if she were dreaming. Flack began to kiss her again. He kissed her all over as he lowered her back down onto her feet. Lindsay's hands ran over Flack's body as if she were an explorer. Her hand finally found its way into his and encouraged him to move out of the kitchen.

"Linds, I don't want you to think this is a one night…" Flack began.

"I don't. You're not like that." Lindsay reassured him quietly. When Lindsay grabbed his hand again, he could feel her certainty.

Lindsay lead the way to her bedroom, Flack following like a small puppy. When he tripped over the bedside table and tumbled onto the bed, Lindsay laughed in an intoxicating way. Flack was mesmerized by her voice, her scent and just by her.

Later, Lindsay lay watching Flack sleep, his arm protectively wrapped around her waist. She swore that she could hear the blood rushing around in her head, it was only drowned out by the even tones of Flack's breath. Running her fingers over Flack's bare chest, she traced small circles before allowing him to hold her close and still and succumbing to sleep.


	15. My Side of the Bed

February 15th brought with it a morning full of sunshine. It streamed in through Lindsay's small window, waking her as it collided with eyes. Lindsay tried to close her eyes to the brightness and twisted a bit under the sheets.

"You're on my side of the bed." Flack grunted quietly.

"I didn't realize that you had a side of _my_ bed." Lindsay muttered with a smile into his chest.

"How is it possible for someone so small to take up so much space? You're a bed hog." Flack said, tightening his grip around Lindsay's waist.

Flack was lying along one edge of the bed. Lindsay's head was resting on his chest, while the rest of her body was sprawled diagonally from one corner of the bed to another.

"You know if this doesn't work for you…if you're complaining, then you have a bed of your own that you're more than welcome to go back to." Lindsay said a little more seriously than she had intended. She punctuated her statement and tried to lighten the mood a bit by reaching over and idly playing with Flack's ear and the soft skin behind it.

"No, no. I'm fine right here." Flack said. He had finally found the one person he wanted, and he wasn't about to lose her. "You know, Linds, back at my place Therearerather comfy flannel sheets, if I do say so myself."

"A man after my own heart." Lindsay said sweetly.

"I aim to please. What do you say? Want to take them for a test drive?" Flack asked.

"Why, Detective Flack, are you trying to get me into your bed?"

"Yes. Is it working?" Flack said with a smile.

"Flack, though they're a plus, I don't need your flannel sheets. I simply need you." Lindsay said. She rolled on her side and snuggled into Flack's body, realizing that it was a perfect fit. Lindsay stilled her snuggling momentarily, and looked at Flack' her voice becoming more serious. "Do you have any regrets about this?"

"Yes." Flack said honestly. It was then that he saw Lindsay's eyes drop away from his and a look of panic wash over her. "I regret not kissing you sooner. I regret acting like such an idiot all those times that I was jealous or worried. I regret not being brave enough to brave enough to admit that the best thing to happen to me was hiding right under my nose this whole time."

"Good answer, Detective." Lindsay smiled and craned her neck gracefully to place a gentle kiss on Flack's lips. "Now…let's talk more about your flannel sheets."


End file.
